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Hanukkah at the White House
Poziom:
Temat: Społeczeństwo i nauki społeczne
President Obama:
Oh, this is a good
looking group right here.
(laughter)
Good evening, everybody.
Audience:
Good evening.
President Obama:
Welcome to the White House.
I want to thank all of you for
joining us in celebrating the
second night of Hanukkah.
Happy Hanukkah, everybody.
(applause)
We are joined tonight by
Ambassador Michael Oren,
of Israel.
Where's Michael?
(applause)
He's way back there.
And so I want to begin by
offering our deepest condolences
to the families and loved ones
of all of those who've died as
a result of the terrible
forest fire in northern Israel.
As rescuers and firefighters
continue in their work,
the United States is acting to
help our Israeli friends respond
to the disaster.
A short while ago, our
ambassador in Tel Aviv,
Jim Cunningham, issued
a disaster declaration,
which has launched an
effort across the U.S.
government to identify the
firefighting assistance we
have available and provide it to
Israel as quickly as possible.
Of course, that's what
friends do for each other.
And, Mr. Ambassador, our
thoughts and prayers are
with everybody in Israel who
is affected by this tragedy
and the family and loved
ones of those in harm's way.
Tonight, it's an honor to
welcome so many friends and
leaders from the Jewish
community and beyond.
And I want to start by
recognizing my Special
Envoy for Middle East Peace,
George Mitchell, who is here.
Please give him a
round of applause.
(applause)
And all the other outstanding
members of the diplomatic corps
who are here.
One third of the
Supreme Court is here.
(applause)
One of my favorites,
Justice Ginsburg,
is hiding out here in the front.
(laughter)
She really is here. It's hard to see.
(laughter)
Justice Breyer is here.
And -- where's Justice Breyer?
There he is -- right here.
(applause)
And our newest addition and
former colleague of mine when
we were teaching together,
Elena Kagan is in the house.
(applause)
I want to also acknowledge
somebody who I rely on day in,
day out, who is not only a great
Vice President, but is also --
(laughter)
-- one of my dearest friends;
Joe Biden is in the house.
(applause)
And to all the members
of the administration,
and members of Congress, and all
the state and local leaders who
are with us today, welcome.
I want to thank Joshua Redman
for gracing us with his talent
and helping us with the music.
(applause)
And finally, I want to thank the
rabbis and lay leaders who have
traveled from all over
the country to be here.
Yes, you can give yourselves
a round of applause.
(applause)
Now, tonight, we gather to
celebrate a story as simple
as it is timeless.
It's a story of ancient Israel,
suffering under the yoke of
empire, where Jews were
forbidden to practice their
religion openly, and the Holy
Temple -- including the holy of
holies -- had been desecrated.
It was then that a
small band of believers,
led by Judah Maccabee, rose
up to take back their city
and free their people.
And when the Maccabees
entered the temple,
the oil that should have lasted
for a single night ended up
burning for eight.
That miracle gave hope
to all those who had been
struggling in despair.
And in the 2,000 years since,
in every corner of the world,
the tiny candles of Hanukkah
have reminded us of the
importance of faith
and perseverance.
They have illuminated a path
for us when the way forward
was shrouded in darkness.
And as we prepare to light
another candle on the menorah,
let us remember the sacrifices
that others have made so that
we may all be free.
Let us pray for the members of
our military who guard that
freedom every day, and who may
be spending this holiday far
away from home.
Let us also think of those for
whom these candles represent not
just a triumph of the past, but
also hope for the future -- the
men, women and children of all
faiths who still suffer under
tyranny and oppression.
That's why families everywhere
are taught to place the menorah
in public view, so the entire
world can see its light.
Because, as the
Talmud teaches us,
"So long as a person
still has life,
they should never
abandon faith."
Now, the menorah
we're using tonight,
and the family who -- who is
going to help us light it,
both stand as powerful
symbols of that faith.
This beautiful menorah has
been generously loaned to
us by Congregation Beth
Israel in New Orleans.
(applause)
Five years ago, when
Hurricane Katrina hit,
the synagogue was covered
in eight feet of water.
Later, as the cleanup crew
dug through the rubble,
they discovered this menorah,
caked in dirt and mold.
And today it stands as a
reminder of the tragedy and
a source of inspiration for the future.
And that feeling is
shared by Susan Retik.
It's a feeling they
know all too well.
After her husband, David,
was killed on September 11th,
Susan could have easily
lost herself in feelings
of hopelessness and grief.
But instead, she turned
her personal loss into a
humanitarian mission --
co-founding "Beyond the 11th,"
a group that reaches
out to Afghan widows
facing their own struggles.
So on this second
night of Hanukkah,
let us give thanks to the
blessings that all of us enjoy.
Let us be mindful of those
who need our prayers.
And let us draw strength
from the words of a great
philosopher, who said that a
miracle is "a confirmation of
what is possible."
And now I'd like to
turn it over to Susan,
who by the way has been
on this stage before,
receiving a presidential award
for her outstanding work.
But she happens to be joined by
a beautiful family -- Donald,
Ben, Molly, Dina and Rebecca.
(laughter)
Rebecca is down here.
So I want to turn
-- there she is.
Yes, she is adorable.
(laughter)
As Michelle --
(laughter)
As Michelle said as we
were getting on stage,
she will be stealing the show.
(laughter)
So we're going to turn it
over to Susan and her family
for the blessings.
♪♪
Speaker:
Blessed are You, Lord, our
God, Ruler of the universe,
Who has sanctified us with His
commandments and commanded us
to kindle the Hanukkah light.
Blessed are You, Lord, our
God, Ruler of the universe,
Who performed miracles for
our four fathers in those
days at this time.
In Unision:
Amen.
♪♪
(applause)
President Obama:
So happy Hanukkah to all of you.
We're going to see
most of you downstairs.
Be patient in the line.
(laughter)
And I just want to let
everybody know that, yes,
they will be able to Photoshop
my lip for the picture.
(laughter)
Happy Hanukkah, everybody.
(applause)
